Welcome to the blog for Colgate University's interdisciplinary course on food. This is the place to keep up with what students in the course are experiencing in their work at Common Thread Community Farm and through their everyday encounters with food.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Whole Wheat Bread Baking

This is the loaf I baked during our finals week bread baking study break. A nice whole wheat loaf marked M for Matt. Unfortunately, it did not turn out quite as well as I had hoped. The bread was entirely too dense with a mealy crumb. This is, in large part, due to the fact that whole wheat and all purpose flour act differently and recipes do not translate over seamlessly.

From some cursory research into whole wheat bread baking I have been able to come up with a few points of improvement: adding vital wheat gluten, adding more water, and allowing more rest in between kneading.
Vital wheat gluten helps whole wheat dough rise and behave more like white flour dough. It is possible to achieve these results without the gluten but the dough must be expertly handled. The next points are due to the fact that whole wheat flour absorbs more water but at a slower rate than white flour. Instead of kneading the dough continuously until all the water is incorporated it is easier to knead then allow a short rest and then to knead again.

I have started my own whole wheat starter and plan to bake a whole wheat loaf and some regular baguettes this weekend. I will keep you posted on my successes/failures.

How to eat a POM Wonderful Pomegranate

This is a how to guide for those of you who don't quite know how to turn a hard pomegranate into a bowl full of beautiful arils.

1. When shopping for a pomegranate choose a fruit that is heavy for its size. Color varies and is not a good indicator of the fruit within. Blemishes on the thick skin do not indicate injured fruit. To cut a pomegranate you will need a sharp knife and a large bowl of water (optional).

2. Cut 1/2 inch off the top (with the crown). Watch out! Pomegranate juice stains!
3. Next score the pomegranate skin into about 5 or 6 even pieces. I aim for the places where the pith (white fiber) separates the seeds (arils). This makes picking the seeds out easier.
4. It is recommended, but not necessary to pull apart the fruit and gently scrape out the seeds with your fingers while the fruit is submerged in a bowl of water. This minimizes the chances of the juice staining your clothes and aides in the removal of the arils, somewhat.
5. After separating the seeds from the pith and skin let the bowl sit. the pith will float to the top. Scoop this away and pour the bowl through a sieve.
6. Rinse the seeds under cold water and they are ready for use. Darker seeds are riper. 

Now, you can enjoy the epic anti-oxidant benefits of POM Wonderful pomegranates : ) . Available at Hamilton Price Chopper by the way.

Lebkuchen

Lebkuchen, or life cake, is a traditional German Christmas cookie that has been made since the 13th century.  The making and eating of Lebkuchen is as much a part of Christmas for my family as singing carols and exchanging gifts. Traditionally, Salt of Hartshorn and potash are used as a leavening agent. Lebkuchen is very similar to ginger bread. In Germany, a Lebkuchenpferd (lebkuchen horse) has the same cultural significance as the gingerbread man in America.

Grandma Tscherne's Lebkuchen Recipe

1/2 lb Honey
1 lb Lekvar (prune butter)
1/2 lb Sugar
1 lb Flour (3/4 and then 1/4 lb)
2 Tsp mixed spices (cloves, allspice, ginger)
2 Tbsp Cinnamon
1 grated Orange peel
1 grated Lemon peel
2 Eggs
1/2 c Cocoa

Preheat oven to 340 degrees F.

Warm honey and lekvar, stir in sugar , let cool. Add the rest of the ingredients except 1/4 lb flour
Refrigerate overnight.

Add remaining 1/4 lb flour and 1 tsp baking powder (or Salt of Hartshorn/potash if you can find them)...roll out and bake.

Bake for 15 min

Create a glaze out of confectioners sugar and Sambvca rum. Generously glaze the cookies when cool.


Friday, December 14, 2012

Cleaning Out the Fridge

Getting ready to go home for break my roommate and I had to clean out our fridge. It was not a pleasurable experience. Somehow through the stress of homework and exams, we had completely neglected our kitchen. Without time to cook, our trash was filled with fast food boxes rather than fresh food bags. This afternoon as I pulled out old onion, after old tomato, each item was a reminder of various pledges I had made throughout the semester to eat healthy (as well as of money lost). Looking back at my adventures to the grocery store this semester, I was being entirely ambitious with my purchases. Eating healthy usually requires cooking--a skill I do not have.Throughout the semester I bought many vegetables, but I never had any idea what to do with them. I even made the effort to go apple picking (with hopes of baking a fresh apple pie), but alas the apples remained in the fridge all semester uncooked. For an inexperienced chef like myself, is it even worth it to try? For next semester will I inevitably end up with piles of wasted food, instead of gourmet healthy meals? Cooking really can be a daunting experience. There are so many complicated utensils, such an array of spices available, a couple of dangerous objects (fire and knives) involved. Cooking doesn't seem like something I can casually pick up. It's a skill to be acquired. How people know that certain spices go well together will always amaze me. Ultimately I think Colgate should start a cooking class, or club. It really is an important life skill (essential to health eating) that many of us students don't have. Maybe if I wasn't so scared of the kitchen, I'd make more of an effort to spend time in there.

Food Patterns On Campus

Finals week is officially over, yet all I keep hearing about is how much weight people have lost over the past 2 weeks. Although this is something current, I have heard the same conversations after midterms and finals for the past 3 years. What is it about finals and midterms that make people forget to eat? Is it deliberate? And, how do you just forget to eat? As someone who forgets to eat during finals, I was curious as to why this happens ( aside from stress). However, when I tried looking it up on google, all I kept getting was "ways to eat healthy during finals" and "Alzheimer, remember to eat." Does anyone else have any other suggestions or thoughts on this?

Changing Dietary Habits


I came to this class knowing almost nothing about the food industry. I lived a life of ignorant bliss, regularly consuming generic grocery store bought food. Throughout the semester I have learned much about where my food comes from, what’s in it, and the industrial practices behind its construction. I have been disgusted, shocked, and horrified by some of the articles we’ve read, and documentaries we’ve watched. But what does all this mean for me? Do I plan on changing my diet? Here are two of the topics we’ve talked about over the course of the semester, and how they have affected my consumption habits:

Corn – Ever since watching King Corn in class, I check the ingredient list on all of the foods I purchase. Sure enough some corn-based additive is in EVERYTHING. Even “healthy” foods like wheat bread or nuts include corn. It seems that my diet is more of fuel than food. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll be able to shift my diet away from corn in the near future. Just assessing the foods I eat most often (wheat bread, chicken, yogurt and cheese products), three of the four are likely to have some corn component to them. I know I am not willing to sacrifice any of these items, and I don’t think I pragmatically could. For example, every weekday I eat lunch at the up the hill. Where does the COOP’s chicken come from? Where does their bread come from? Living in a small town in upstate New York, my pre-prepared food options are limited. As for life after Colgate, I will absolutely pay more attention to what is in my food, and try to stray from corn. I can’t promise to be entirely committed to a non-corn diet—but my intake will absolutely decrease.

Labor Issues – Eating with a conscious is a bit more difficult when it comes to labor issues. How companies treat their workers isn’t explicitly stated on food wrappers. It’s often not even stated in the newspaper. The best way to ensure that my food consumption choices support fair labor practices, rather than labor abuse, is to buy local. It is almost guaranteed that that a small local farm will not abuse their workers, whereas a big industrial food company may. Eating local however comes at a cost. It means only eating food that is in season, and is able to be grown within a 100 mile radius. Beyond purchasing my food at Hamilton Whole Foods and the Hamilton Eatery (both of which do their best to buy local ingredients), I don’t think it is possible for me to buy local year round in Hamilton, or at home in Seattle.

An integral part of my diet, related to both corn and labor issues, is junk food. As a college student, I consume enormous amounts of junk food. It’s fast, convenient, and delicious. However, since the beginning of this semester, I have severely cut back. Multiple times I’ve looked at a bag of cheese-its and thought of the chemicals, corn, unfair labor practices and so on that went into their creation, and thrown the bag away. As the discussions we’ve had in Food class sink-in over the next few months, my consumption habits may change more drastically; not as an active political stance, but due to my pure disgust of the industrial food industry. 

Burger Joint takes Marketing to another level...

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/13/condom-promotion-burger-urge_n_2293340.html?utm_hp_ref=food

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

The Inherent Conflict of the USDA

While finishing up my research paper last weekend, I came across an article that left me utterly speechless (link below). Part of me was disappointed at finding yet another case of the USDA practicing obscene loyalty to the beef industry, and yet another part of me was thrilled at finding yet another example that supported a point I was trying to make in my paper: that the beef industry has far too much power.

The article was written back in July, but it essentially described an example that illustrated the internal conflict the USDA faces between supporting American agriculture while at the same time doling out nutrition advice, an issue we discussed in class with regard to the excerpt we read from Marion Nestle's book. I wrote about this very conflict in my paper as well. Essentially, the article was about how a memo circulated around the United States Department of Agriculture office recommending different strategies employees can use to be more environmentally friendly. One of the strategies on the list was joining the Meatless Mondays campaign, abstaining from meat for one day a week. The memo went on to list some of the environmental benefits of cutting down one's meat intake. After the memo was published on the USDA's website, there was a vocal backlash from various cattlemen and meat lobbyists and even a congressional representative from Iowa for the USDA advocating that anyone reduce his or her meat consumption.

After this negative backlash was made public, the USDA removed the memo from their website and went on record stating that the USDA does not endorse the Meatless Mondays campaign and that the memo was written by a non-reputable source, essentially denying affiliation with the memo in question.

What stood out to me the most in the article was a statement made by a spokesperson for the National Cattleman's Beef Association. He referred to the "offending passage" as "'a slap in the face of the people who every day are working to make sure we have food on the table to say "Don't eat their product once a week."'" The reason this shocked me because they were referring to meat-eating as a product like any other; as if the USDA accidentally advocated one brand over another. However, the memo was only suggesting to eat less meat because of real-world environmental impacts of eating meat. What irritates me is that the meat industry refuses to acknowledge that there can be any downside to consuming copious quantities of their products. And as long as the USDA insists upon supporting this message despite a growing amount of scientific literature supporting the extensive number of environmental and health consequences of a high degree of meat consumption, I cannot take the USDA seriously as an organization that claims to defend public health.


http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/26/us/usda-newsletter-retracts-a-meatless-mondays-plug.html?_r=2&

Eating Alone

I've never been particularly fond of eating alone. In middle school and high school, eating lunch at a table by yourself was akin to social failure. Perhaps this is where I obtained my negative associations with the whole idea. But in college, it's not a big deal to most people. Freshman and sophomore year, I would often see people sitting by themselves in Frank, sometimes reading the New York Times or doing schoolwork, and I never thought to myself that they must not have any friends. It really wasn't a big deal. Yet, I still couldn't stand the idea of it. When I simply didn't have the time to find someone to eat with, I would also try and read the paper or do work. The problem was that I found this close to impossible. I couldn't focus on what I was reading while trying to coordinate putting forkfuls of food into my mouth, and I just ended up re-reading the same sentences over and over while at the same time eating impossibly slowly. This was not an efficient system. But at the same time, if I sat there with nothing to do, I would just people-watch and end up looking like a creep - or at least, I felt like I did. So I generally just pretended I was reading or doing something when in reality I was just sitting there eating my lunch and thinking about nothing in particular, which I was fairly uncomfortable doing.

Eating at home is a different story. Unless I'm cooking for others, I generally eat by myself and I have no problem with this. In fact, if it's breakfast or lunch I generally prefer the me time. Unless I'm hurrying out the door, my meal is usually accompanied by some Daily Show or Colbert from the night before. I got into a pretty solid routine of doing this and I was content with it.

That is, until I read the book Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. It was a fairly popular book a few years back and was even made into a movie with Julia Roberts as the protagonist. I loved the book and learned a great deal about the three acts she titled her book with. In her section on eating (about the time she spent in Italy learning how to speak Italian and eat properly), Gilbert wrote about a common Italian phrase, il dolce far niente, or in English, "the sweetness of doing nothing." Her Italian friends criticized the way Americans eat, saying how we always needed to be doing something while we ate, whether it was watching TV, working, or socializing. Naturally, this hit home for me because I realized that I was exactly the kind of American the author's friends were talking about when introducing her to the phrase. In Italian culture, they explained, they value the sweetness of doing nothing at all - a concept not well understood by Americans. When you are doing something else while you eat, it takes away from the pleasure of the very act itself. Instead of paying attention to the food, you're paying attention to the television or the internet or the work you're trying to get done during your limited lunch hour. But the food doesn't get adequately appreciated.

After realizing how horribly I've insulted my food all these years by seeking out something to do rather than just enjoying my meal, I took it upon myself to change this awful habit. While I do still attempt to kill two birds with one stone when I really need to, I've also stopped feeling ashamed of myself when I do eat by myself. Rather than worrying about looking like that high schooler who sits alone because she has no friends to eat with, I spent the time getting to know my food better. And I can tell you first-hand that the sweetness Gilbert wrote about is entirely palpable.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Victimless Meat = Cannibalism?

According to the article PETA Launches Victimless Nuggets, PETA created an animal-meat alternative snack by cloning cells from their President, Ingrid Newkirk. Yes, Newkirk is a human, and cells were taken from an upper arm biopsy and sent to labs that have been working to grow animal tissue with the taste, texture, and "muscle mass" of chicken. I was curious to know where this study has gone since it was published in 2008, but I could not find any other information online.

This article brought me back to our discussion with Professor Wyatt Galusky of Morrisville State College, who told us about similar meat manipulation endeavors. We talked about the process of and ethics behind cloning cells from animals and then eating them. It has been a while since this discussion, but I do not believe we talked about the possibility of cloning human cells for food. Would eating human cells considered cannibalism? Or have these cells been manipulated and mixed with other nutrients enough to escape this connection? This victimless meat could also help America away from our heavy reliance on unsustainable, factory-produced meat products. After all, Ingrid is "100% free range, grain fed, white meat" herself.





Nourish


I recently watched the documentary film Nourish, which is a 26-minute version of Food, Inc. The film short is split into three sections, making it easy to follow.

The first section is dedicated to unveiling the global interconnectedness of our food system. Narrator, Cameron Diaz, refers to this as “Food with a hidden map.” Do you ever think about where and from whom your chocolate comes from? A lot of the chocolate in our supermarkets come from Ghana. The average farmer here makes less than $1 a day. The film also talks about the lack of knowledge on what seafood is sustainable to eat. For instance, we have lost 90 percent of the ocean’s big fish specifies due to overfishing.

[This wasn’t in the film, but if you’re interested in learning more information on what seafood is sustainable to eat in your own hometown, check out the Seafood Watch website, http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/sfw_recommendations.aspx?c=ln. They also have cool pocket guides you can print out.]

The next section of the documentary is dedicated to the transportation of food from “Seed to table.” Here, Michael Pollan speaks about the monocrops, such as corn, that have come to dominate the American food supply via large corporations. Since monocrops are unnatural, there is a high need for pesticides to keep these crops going. The overabundance of pesticide usage has run off into the Gulf of Mexico, creating a “dead zone” of aquatic life along the cost. So although organic foods are more expensive, each time your buy organic you are taking one little step to better the environment.

The final chapter of the film is entitled “Vote for work.” When you purchase organic, fair trade products you are ensuring that workers are paid and treated fairly. For the past 60 years or so the Western diet has transformed into one found on science, technology, and industry. And the human population is not adapting well to this diet, as seen by the chronic diseases that have prevailed from ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup. In conclusion, the video tells us that our actions reveal the world that we “vote” for and the practices that we value. Therefore, even the slightest behavior changes that we make can have significant environmental impacts. Start out by eating one local, organic meal at least once a day, and these modest changes will eventually become habits that support a sustainable world.

Monday, December 10, 2012

Obama Foodorama

I stumbled across the blog "Obama Foodorama." This is a blog about White House Food Initiatives. There are pictures of the incredible White House Gingerbread House, which will definitely inspire a post-finals creation. Then I found a video about beer brewing in the White House. I'm not sure what could show a better intersection between the rise of craft brewing and politics. Too bad I didn't talk about this in my paper. Maybe I should try some home brewing over winter break too. There is also a cool video of Obama helping to launch a marshmallow through the air with an 8th grader at a science fair. Too fun. I bookmarked this blog immediately after the marshmallow launch video.

Gingerbread House link:
http://obamafoodorama.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-2012-white-house-gingerbread-house.html#more

Videos (Brewing video and Marshmallow video on the same page!):
http://obamafoodorama.blogspot.com/2012/12/white-house-homebrewed-beer-video-makes.html 

Sunday, December 9, 2012

A Social Movement in Food?

After our class discussion a few weeks back on whether or not there is currently a social movement going on with food, I felt a little disheartened. I mentioned in another blog post that I do believe we are in the midst of a social movement, despite it perhaps lacking a few characteristics. For one, as we discussed in class, there is no central message. However, there are central messages. Just because there are many facets of our current food system that activists are trying to change, I do not believe that it cannot be called one singular movement. In fact, I believe that the fact that there are multiple points of agenda within a social movement regarding food strengthens any social movement that may or may not be occurring. I recently found an article portraying this exact argument published in the San Francisco Chronicle, for which I have provided a link below. The authors pointed out that within the current movement, assuming that there is one, there are overarching goals of health, environmental, and human rights issues. The reason why it is difficult to pull out one central goal of the movement is because the multitude of problems with the current food system are all intertwined with one another. One cannot separate issues of toxins in our crops with farm workers rights. Similarly, animal rights issues related to factory farms cannot be separated from antibiotics in our meat. The consolidation of grocery stores cannot be separated from urban food deserts. The list goes on.

Given this problem defined by the existence of too many problems, I believe it is actually a good thing for the overall movement. Since the problems with the current industrial food system are extensive, they touch many people and, perhaps more importantly, a diverse array of people. As a result, there is a greater chance of getting a diverse population of individuals to advocate for change within the system. And fortunately for the movement, positive changes regarding certain issues will likely result in positive changes in others due to the interconnectivity of the various food-related issues.

The article mainly discussed the failure of Proposition 37 in California, arguing that the failure of an anti-GMO law does not mean that there is no social movement, as Michael Pollan recently suggested. The authors argued instead that the current food movement can be compared with other social movements such as the civil rights movement. While every social movement has setbacks and failures and often struggles to be one unified entity, they often succeed at achieving their goals even if it does occur one hundred years later. This article gave me hope that although it may take some time, if food activists continue to persevere, despite initial downfalls they may still win out in the end.

http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/Prop-37-Food-movement-has-just-begun-4058131.php

Friday, December 7, 2012

Forbes Most Extravagant Meals

I had the TV on in the background last night while I worked and this show came on called "Forbes Luxe 11: The Worlds Most Extravagant Meals" and I had to share. Every meal is loaded with delicacies and prepared with so much effort that only the richest can afford to dine in these select locations. These dishes were all so mouthwatering and honestly shocking that I couldn't help but post about it. Here's the link just copy and paste:
http://www.forbes.com/2009/12/03/most-extravagant-meals-lifestyle-travel-dining-travel-channel_slide_2.html?d=p&g=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.forbes.com%2Fmedia%2F2009%2F12%2F02%2F1202_french-laundry_485x340.jpg&b=The%20French%20Laundry%20(Napa%20Valley)%20&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.forbes.com%2F2009%2F12%2F03%2Fmost-extravagant-meals-lifestyle-travel-dining-travel-channel_slide_3.html





Thursday, December 6, 2012

Is "Slices" Worth the Trip?


Last week Zagat rated Hamilton’s own New York Pizzaria (aka “Slices”) as one of the “10 Pies Worth a Trip." My initial response was that a Colgate alumnus must have compiled the list.  How else would the almighty Zagat guide know about Slices? Why else would they care? Their pizza is good, but I have had much better pizza in my life time—Pagliacci’s in Seattle, Artichoke Basille’s in New York, and Apizza Scholls  in Portland to name a few.

Regardless whether “Slices” truly deserved to be dubbed as one of the Top 10 Pie Worth a Trip, the company has a loyal following within the Colgate community. I guarantee every Colgate student, for some time past, has fond memories at “Slices.” Many of my friends who have graduated from Colgate, put a trip to “Slices” at the top of their to-do lists when they are back on campus.


The obsession in the Colgate community over average pizza begs the question as to how our perceptions of food are contextualized within the overall dining experience. If “Slices” was to transplant to New York City or San Francisco, and operate amongst many other pizzerias, would their food be held to the same prestige? I don’t think it would be. My appreciation for Slices is rooted in the memories I have at the pizza parlor: late nights out, a cheap bite to eat after work, lazy Saturday afternoons, and so on. For me, and many of my classmates, Slices (as the only late night food option in Hamilton) will always be symbolic of my Colgate experience. 

BREAKING NEWS: Non-Meat Eaters Beware

     After our class discussion today and the brief time we spent talking about the food blog, I thought I would just browse a few of the most recent news stories about food for personal enjoyment.  I came across an article that I felt had to be shared on the blog.  There are classmates who may find this breaking news to be astonishing, and there are others who may not enjoy it too much.

     To my surprise, there will be a new show airing on the Discovery Channel titled, 'United States of Bacon' where California chef Todd Fisher will be searching for the best tasting bacon dishes across the country.  This man will eat bacon with pretty much everything including a chunky peanut butter bacon cheeseburger and bacon cheddar apple pie.  That doesn't even sound good...

     Hopefully all of you mark your calendars to watch Todd Fisher take on the bacon of the country.  December 30 at 10 p.m. EST will be the showing of the first episode.


Link to article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/05/united-states-of-bacon-tv_n_2243675.html?utm_hp_ref=food#slide=1842279



The Daily Show: School Lunches

So when we brought up Colbert and his presentation to Congress on farmers it got me thinking about this episode of the Daily Show I saw recently which discussed the changes being made in some schools in what is offered for lunch. The government has put caloric limits on how much students can consume and are changing what types of food is offered. This however has been met by huge backlash because our society has become so used to huge quantities and lower quality of food. Here is a clip from the episode which better illustrates the discussion. Thought you might be interested to know that our government is taking some steps towards decreasing diseases such as diabetes by promoting healthier food consumption.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-september-27-2012/9-27-12-in--60-seconds


Dinner for one

Last night when I was working on my research paper, I was looking for research on food and identity and came across a name: Claude Fischler.

Fischler is a French sociologist who has written a lot on how cultural identity is shaped by food, but what intrigued me was an article from the Grist about his work entitled "Americans need to stop multitasking while eating alone."  At that very moment, I was sitting in the geology computer lab with one hand on the mouse and the other in a bag of Skittles. I had just attended the Wellness Institute's study break (props to Parvatie), where I snacked on carrots (with hummus – it's part of my aversion therapy) and zombie-themed pudding cups. I also packed a bag of Skittles, craisins, and animal crackers for the long night ahead of me.

But when I read this article, I started to realize just how often I eat alone at Colgate. It's actually sort of depressing! At the beginning of the semester, my friends and roommates and I were pretty good about making "family dinners" and going over each other's apartments to eat together. But now that it's the end of the semester, the buildup of projects, papers and looming exams has compounded everyone's time so that I eat when I can, not when I need to, and that means I am almost always eating alone.

Breakfast is always alone, since my roommates have different schedules than me. Lunch is my best opportunity to eat socially, as I regularly attend brown bag lunches or pack a lunch and eat it at the Coop with friends. But dinner has become such a chore, because I have so many other obligations to worry about that I don't feel I have enough time to make something good. If I actually took the time, I'm sure there are tons of blogs out there that could inform me on meals that are fast to make and delicious to eat, but I don't have time to scour the web or stalk the aisles of Price Chopper in search of ingredients. I actually haven’t been to Price Chopper since I got back from Thanksgiving break, an experiment in time management that is proving very detrimental to my eating patterns.  I've been buying food from Hamilton Whole Foods (lots of money for not a lot of food) and getting my freshmen friends to use up their Coop meals on me. It's not the most dependable source of food, but I've just been prioritizing schoolwork over other things…which isn't healthy.  I know that, but I can't stop myself.

I'm not alone, though. Whether eating in front of the TV or our laptops, Americans have a reputation for eating alone and while doing other activities. In his studies, Fischler examined eating habits in the US, France, England, Italy, Germany, and Switzerland, and determined that the US and France were on opposite ends of the spectrum. According to his research, Americans were obsessed with the individualism of eating, matters of personal health, and the freedom of choice, whereas the French were more concerned with the social pleasures and "joie de vivre" of eating.

I'm not entirely sold on Fischler's argument. I think it’s unfair to make it such a binary worldview, where Americans are soulless machines who eat purely for sustenance and the French spend all day sitting around a table, laughing, eating foie gras and drinking wine. During my semester in Dijon, our Colgate group loved to go out to long, lavish meals and no one ever mentioned the work we had to do or upcoming papers.  Meanwhile, my French friends loved McDonald's (affectionately referred to as "MacDo") and were no stranger to instant rice and frozen meals. Maybe it's a generational difference; maybe it's a college student thing. I think kids our age worldwide are more likely to eat alone and in erratic patterns because it's our first time truly cooking for ourselves. Next year, I'll be in the "real world" so I guess that will be the true test of where I fall on the spectrum. I'm applying to teach in France so I'm hoping to learn more about Fischler's research firsthand!

What's Next?

When thinking about what I want to do after college, I stumbled across a program called FoodCorps. For those of you who don't know what it is, FoodCorps, similar to AmeriCorps, places service members in places across the country to connect kids to food and encourage kids to grow up healthy. FoodCorps' approach to this mission is based on three interventions: Knowledge, Engagement, and Access. This program teaches kids about nutrition, gets them excited about food through school gardens, and advocates for healthy, local food within school cafeterias. Because I love kids and am passionate about healthy eating, I will definitely be applying when the application goes online in January. I recently talked to Jill Zartman, a former FoodCorps Service Member in rural Arkansas, to learn more about the program and to see if this opportunity is truly an experience that would be a good fit for me. As I was worried that I do not have enough experience with farming to be responsible for an entire school garden, Jill assured me that FoodCorps trains you to be prepared. Jill majored in nutrition while attending UNC and told me that she had never stepped foot onto a farm before serving. Because most people in class are interested in food and have worked on a farm before, I figured I would share the link to the website: https://foodcorps.org/.

Other potential avenues, which are more academic, to pursue Food Studies include the graduate program at NYU in Food Studies (where Marion Nestle works) and graduate program at BU in Gastronomy (where you can take culinary classes toward your graduate degree). You should definitely check them out. I know I will be!

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Mayor of Newark on Food Stamps?

I chose to write my research paper on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps.  Since writing my draft last week, the issue seems to have taken the hot seat.  Every day there seems to be a new article about the SNAP program and the fiscal cliff.

Corey Booker, the mayor of Newark decided to voice his opinion in a unique way.  Rather than posting tweets or holding a news conference about the SNAP program, Mayor Booker decided that he would live on the SNAP budget for a week.  This way, he could see what it is really like.

Mayor Booker is currently on his second day of the challenge and living on about $30 dollars of food a week.  Booker is a vegetarian and has filled his stomach with chickpeas, sweet potatoes, and other vegetables.  He wants to debunk the myth that people on food stamps are wasting the money on unhealthy food.  He stated that that "was not what he has observed."

I can't imagine that Corey Booker will make many friends with this display. To food stamp participants, this seems like a slap in the face.  He decides for ONE week that he is going to live off of a SNAP budget so he can see what it is like?  How can he truly get an idea for what it is like to live on $5 of food a day, when he knows that in five days he can eat whatever he wants?  It is not out of necessity, but rather more like a diet.  

Opponents of the food stamp program can use the same argument; "Of course it is effective for one week..." I understand what the Mayor is trying to do here, but what is needed to make SNAP more effective is a change in policies and climate.  A social media stunt is not going to bring a solution to a such a deep-rooted issue in society.

Adventures in school food

My memories of elementary school lunchtime are getting hazy now, but I remember the long blue folding cafeteria tables, the laminated paper ticket with my name on it, those little wax paper cartons of milk, brown for chocolate, red for whole. I remember American chop suey, hard boiled eggs dyed green and served with ham every year on Dr. Seuss' birthday (March 2), and frozen rectangle pizza on Fridays. Dessert was Strawberry Shortcake ice cream bars and apple crisp.

Elementary school is such a formative period for kids. At the time, I thought I was at school just to learn about long division and ancient Greek gods, but now I see how important those years were for my education in other ways. The cafeteria, itself, was a place for me to experiment in what to eat and how to act at the table. My dad volunteered a couple times a week to be a cafeteria monitor, which embarrassed me a little but also made me feel more comfortable amongst my peers and probably encouraged me to be on my best lunchtime behavior (or not).

In middle and high school, we got more freedom to choose and I became a lot more conscientious about the food I was eating. Pretty quickly, I got disillusioned with the hot food options, a monotonous cycle of pasta, pizza and tater tots. I started packing my lunch for school, or eating the most innocuous cafeteria choices: generally, this consisted of a fruit-on-the-bottom yogurt cup and a bagel with peanut butter. Pretty uninspiring.

Going to high school in Finland was a revelation for me. Hot lunch is provided every day, completely free of charge for everyone since the 1940's, and there is no limit set on how much food you can take. My favorite school food was spinach and beet pancakes and thick pea soup with rye crackers. There’s always a hot vegetarian option, and plenty of fresh beets, shredded carrot, and green salads. My high school was also next door to the local milk factory, so we always had fresh milk and "piimä," a kind of sour cultured milk that is supposed to be very nutritious. I looked forward to lunch every day and even when I didn't have class, I still came to school just to see friends and have a delicious meal, courtesy of the Finnish government.

This is a cool article from Buzzfeed that gives examples of school lunches from around the world, including Kenya, Italy, Honduras, and South Korea. Sadly, Finland didn’t make the cut, but the Swedish plate is very similar.  As it also turns out, the MoMA recently held a special lunch series called “Back to School: A Taste of Finland,” where participants could try "typical" Finnish school meals.  These meals were probably of higher quality than what you'd find in the average school in Pori or Helsinki, since the MoMA tends to cater to a more refined audience than Finnish third-graders.  I'm not trying to say that Finnish school food is the best in the world, or that it couldn't be improved.  However, the picture below is a very typical lunch tray.  It features "siskomakkara" or "sister sausage" and potato soup, fresh cucumbers, cheese, buttered rye bread and milk.  Simple yet satisfying!

Source: <http://neverseconds.blogspot.com/2012/05/i-decided-to-try-something-different.html>

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Food Waste

We have discussed many issues surrounding food over the past fifteen weeks, from backyard chicken coops to organic certifications, but one thing that was not directly addressed was food waste.  We live in a country in which food is relatively cheap and available.  Portion sizes when eating out at restaurants are notoriously big.  A lot of food goes wasted.

There is a lot of discussion to be had as to the causes of this waste in the United States.  Is it because as a culture we identify ourselves with excess?  Is it simply because food is too cheap?  Does the current food production system thrive off of people buying larger than necessary quantities?  All are possible explanations for why so much food is wasted in America.  Apparently though, we are not the only ones with the problem. Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, is a symbol for money and excess.  However, they are taking their own steps towards battling the food waste program.  Fancier restaurants have begun to charge per weight, rather than per dish.  In America, this is common at grocery stores or college salad bars, but would never be seen at a "nicer" restaurant.  Most places that offer food that is served in varying quantities tend to be of the "all-you-can-eat" variety.

In other places of the world, paying per weight of the item is not a new concept.  Brazil, and other South and Central American countries have plenty of vendors at which you decide how much to consume.  These types of restaurants are common in cafeterias or food courts-- instead of ordering items al-a-carte off of a menu, you simply fill up a plate with what you want and put it on a scale.

This may provide an interesting solution for those in the population that argue that "portions are too large in America, a large drink is half the size of McDonald's in other countries...", but does it really address the cause of our waste problem?  I think that this type of restaurant offering would have the opposite effect on diners such as me.  When ordering items off of a fast food menu, I oftentimes make tally them up in my head; "okay two dollar menu double cheeseburgers, one dollar menu fry, and a McFlurry".  I am not sure that I would be as conscious of what I am ordering if I just loaded up a plate.  Sure, it would cost more money to buy more food, but does it really change the culture of "our eyes are bigger than our stomachs."  Chances are food would still be cheap, but the ability to add up how much we would spending would become difficult.  I know that I do not have a good concept of how much tongs full of chicken fingers weigh... Charging per pound versus per item seems to make ordering food more of a guess-- I would guess I can eat a plateful of fried chicken, two spoonfuls of mashed potatoes, and two biscuits, but when I go to a restaurant for lunch and order items off of a menu, I know EXACTLY how much I will eat.

It is an interesting concept, one attempted in good-intentions, but I think other measures are necessary to truly curb the problem of food waste.

EDIT: Food for thought: The UN Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that consumers in developed nations waste about 222 million tons of food a year. Sub-Saharan Africa's net food production was around 230 million tons last year.  In Canada and US, the average citizen wastes about 220 pounds per capita.

The History of Coffee

I was planning on brining Ethiopian coffee, straight from the source, to class at some point this semester. However, because mail takes so long to cross the ocean, I don't think I'll be able to treat everyone to the original, organic coffee from the source. The history of Ethiopian coffee I've found is pretty interesting and worth talking about seeing as coffee is such an integral part of our daily lives, especially as college students. This article I found gives us a detailed look into the origins, spread, commercialization and current importance of coffee as a global commodity. It is also interesting to note that even though Ethiopia exports bring in millions of dollars the country continues to wallow in poverty. This website also has many useful and mouth-watering links to other breakfast foods, their history and various recipes for turning run-of-the-mill breakfast foods into masterpieces if you're interested.

http://www.mrbreakfast.com/article.asp?articleid=26
The History of Coffee
By James Grierson

Part I - Africa and Arabia

The coffee plant originates from the highland forests of Ethiopia. It is believed that the first plants were found growing wild in the region of Kaffa, where coffee derives its name. A popular legend tells of a goat herder named Kaldi. One day he noticed his goats behaving in a strange manner. They were full of energy, playfully chasing each other and bleating loudly. He noticed they were eating red berries from the bushes nearby. Feeling tired and slightly curious, Kaldi decided to try some of the berries. To his delight his fatigue quickly faded into a fresh burst of energy.

Kaldi was so impressed by the berries, that he filled his pockets with them and ran home to show his wife. "They are heaven-sent" she declared, "You must take them to the Monks in the monastery". At the monastery, Kaldi told the Abbot how these berries had had a miraculous energizing affect on his goats. The Abbot hurled the berries into the fire and proclaimed them as the "Devil's work".

Within minutes the berries started to smoke and the monastery was filled with the heavenly aroma of roasting beans. The other Monks quickly gathered to see what the commotion was. One Monk swiftly raked the beans from the fire and extinguished the embers by stamping on them. The rich smell of coffee obviously agreed with the Abbot's nose as he ordered the Monk to place the now crushed beans into a jug and cover it with hot water to preserve their divine goodness. He then took a sip from the jug and sampled the rich and fragrant brew that is coffee. From that day on the Monks vowed to drink coffee daily to keep them awake during the long, nocturnal devotions.

No one is exactly sure when coffee was discovered. There is evidence to suggest that coffee beans were used to make a primitive "energy bar" before they were actually brewed as a hot drink. Sometime between 575AD and 850AD, a nomadic mountain tribe known as Galla, used to mix ground coffee with ghee. These bars were consumed by the tribe's warriors to heighten aggression and increase their stamina during battle. To this day, these bars are still eaten in Kaffa and Sidamo (Ethiopia).

Some authorities claim that coffee originated from the Arabian Peninsula rather then Ethiopia, stating that coffee was cultivated in Yemen from around 575AD. An Islamic legend tells of how Sheikh Omar discovered coffee growing wild while living as a recluse near the port of Mocha (Yemen). He is said to have boiled some berries and discovered the stimulating effect of the infusion. He then administered the brew to locals who were stricken with a mysterious illness and cured them. However it is more likely that coffee spread to Yemen through Sudanese slaves. These slaves are thought to have eaten coffee beans to help them stay alive as they rowed ships across the Red Sea between Africa and Arabian Peninsula.

Evidence suggests that coffee was probably not enjoyed as a beverage until around the 10th Century. It is at this time that the oldest known documents describing the beverage coffee were written. Two Arabian philosophers: Rhazes (850-922AD), and Avicenna of Bukham (980-1037AD); both refer to a drink called "bunchum", which many believe is coffee.

By the late 16th Century, the use of coffee was widespread throughout the Arabia, North Africa and Turkey. The nutritional benefits of coffee were thought to be so great that coffee was considered as important as bread and water. So much so that a law was passed in Turkey making it grounds for divorce if a husband refused his wife coffee.

Wherever Islam went, coffee was sure to follow. With the expansion of the Ottoman Empire, coffee quickly spread to the Eastern Mediterranean. However, it is believed that no coffee seed sprouted outside Africa or Arabia until 17th Century, as coffee beans exported from the Arabian ports of Mocha and Jidda, were rendered infertile by parching or boiling. Legend has it that this changed when a pilgrim named Baba Budan, smuggled fertile coffee beans out of Mecca, strapped to his stomach. Returning to his native India he successfully cultivated the beans in Mysore.


Part II - Spread of Coffee to Europe

coffeecoffeeIt was not until 1615 that Europe was formally introduced to coffee. Venetian traders, who had strong trade links with the Levant (historical term referring to a large area of the Middle East incorporating the countries of: Israel, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria) started to import coffee into Italy. Once in Europe, the consumption of coffee soon spread.

The first person recorded to have brewed coffee in England was an international student named Nathaniel Conopios from Crete, who was studying at Balliol College, Oxford. This simple act, which happened in May 1637, was recorded by both scholar John Evelyn and historian Anthony Wood. Shortly afterwards Conopios was expelled from college, but his influence had a lasting effect on Oxford. It was in Oxford that the first English coffeehouse was opened in 1650 by Jacob, a Lebanese Jew. Even though Jacob moved to London a few years later to repeat his success, he had begun a trend that saw many more coffeehouses open in Oxford during that decade.

It is thought that the custom of tipping originated in English coffeehouses. There would often be a small boxes hung near the counter in establishments with the words "To Insure Promptness" (TIP) inscribed on them. Customers would drop a coin in the box to encourage swift service.

The early growth of coffeehouses was largely due to support by doctors promoting coffee for its supposed healing abilities. Before the introduction of coffeehouses, there was a widespread problem with public drunkenness as beer was consumed with almost every meal. But with public knowledge of the health benefits of coffee, and with coffee being significantly cheaper then beer, coffeehouses began to replace the tavern as the meeting place of choice. Needless to say, tavern owners were not going to let their profits dwindle without a fight, and many of the most aggressive attacks against coffee came from them. They claimed that coffee was an Arabic drink not suitable for well-mannered Christian men, unlike beer which had been brewed by Monks' for centuries.

Tavern owners were not the only group to attack coffee. Women upset that their men spent more time at coffeehouses than in their homes, soon started to protest. In 1674, the 'Women's Petition against Coffee' was published. In this document, women protested that coffee reduced the male sperm count and would lead to a decline in the population: "coffee makes a man as barren as the dessert out of which this unlucky berry has been imported; that since its coming the offspring of our mighty forefathers are on the way to disappear as if they were monkeys and swine." It was understandable that women were aggrieved. At the time, they were banned from setting foot in a coffeehouse. The "Men's Answer to the Women's Petition against Coffee" was published later that year. The document defended coffee claiming that women should be thankful for coffee, as it was in fact an aphrodisiac.


Part III - Colonization of Coffee

coffeecoffeeBy the 17th Century, with the popularity of coffee ever increasing in Europe, the interest of the then World Superpowers - Britain, France, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain - also grew. Up until this point, coffee imported into Europe had come from the Arabian Peninsula, over which none of these nations had any control. The Europeans had sampled coffee and liked it, and now they wanted to start producing it for themselves. The race was on to establish their own coffee plantations in their respective colonies.

It was the Netherlands who took an early lead in this race. In 1616, Dutch spies successfully managed to smuggle a coffee plant out of Mocha (Yemen). At first, they were only involved in small scale cultivation. This changed in 1658 when they defeated the Portuguese to take control of Sri Lanka. Very soon coffee plantations spread all over Sri Lanka and into Southern India. Then in 1699, the Dutch started production in Indonesia, when cuttings were successfully transplanted from Malabar (India) to Java.

Without help from the Dutch, the other Superpowers would not have got out of the starting blocks. By 1706, the first coffee beans from Java had reached Amsterdam along with a coffee plant for the Botanical Garden. From this plant, a number of successful cuttings were made. These new plants soon found their way into various botanical gardens throughout Europe as they were given as gifts to visiting dignitaries.

The coffee plant had become a very desirable object. In 1727, the Brazilian government decided it was time they joined the coffee market. Using the guise of an intermediary in a boundary dispute between the French and Dutch in the Guianas, Brazil sent Lieutenant Colonel Francisco de Mello Palheta on a mission to steal a coffee plant from the French. Using his charm and charisma, Palheta befriended the governor of French Guiana's wife. Once the dispute was resolved, the governor's wife presented Palheta with a farewell gift, a coffee cutting concealed in a bouquet of flowers. From this scant shoot grew the world's largest coffee empire.

The British did not seriously compete in the coffee race until 1796 when they took control of Sri Lanka from the Dutch. With the arrival of the British, even more land was cleared for coffee plantations. So much so that the relatively small island of Sri Lanka briefly became the world's largest coffee producer in the 1860s. However in 1869, a lethal fungus known as coffee rust arrived on the island. This fungus causes premature defoliation of a coffee plant, seriously weakening its structure and reducing its yield of berries. Since rust was not considered to be a serious disease, the British continued to clear more land for coffee plantations during the next decade. It was not until 1879 that they realized the seriousness of the situation. Unfortunately by then it was too late. The productivity of the plants had declined so greatly that they were no longer economically viable.

Luckily for the British, a successful marketing campaign led by the British East India Company for tea entitled "the cup that cheers" had laid the foundations for tea to become the British national drink. Between 1700 and 1757, the average annual tea imports into Britain more than quadrupled and consumption continued to grow steadily for the rest of the century. So when coffee rust devastated the coffee plantations of Sri Lanka, and later India, production simply switched and the coffee plants were uprooted and replanted with tea. Although Britain continued to cultivate coffee on a limited amount of colonial land, mostly in Jamaica, Uganda and Kenya, by the end of the 19th Century tea had surpassed coffee as their beverage of choice.


Part IV - Commercialization of Coffee

instant coffeeFor many connoisseurs, the period from the mid-19th Century to the late 20th Century is the "Dark Age" of coffee. During this era, coffee lost its Middle-Eastern mystical charm and became commercialized and, quite frankly, ordinary.

When coffee was first introduced into Britain during the 17th Century, it was a drink enjoyed by every social class. While the rich would enjoy coffee almost ceremonially in their social clubs, the poor saw coffee as an essential nutrient - a hot drink to replace a hot meal or hunger suppressant. With the advancement of technology, it was only a matter of time before large companies formed to take advantage of the coffee commodity.

Traditionally, coffee was roasted in the home or in the coffeehouse. A practice imported from the Middle-East was to simply stir-fry green beans in an iron pan over a fire until brown. Some coffeehouses used a more sophisticated method of a cylindrical unit hung above a fire with a handle to rotate the beans inside. Both these methods were only capable of roasting small batches of coffee - a couple of kilos or several pounds at most - which ensured that the coffee was always fresh.

With the onset of the industrial revolution and mechanization, coffee roasting technology soon improved. Commercial coffee roasters were being invented which were capable of roasting much larger batches of coffee. It was now possible for the few to meet the coffee needs of the masses.

It was in the United States where coffee first began to be commercialized. In 1865, John Arbuckle marketed the first commercially available packages of ground, roasted coffee. His brand, "Ariosa", was sold over a far larger area then any other coffee roaster. Instead of being confined to a small area close to the roasting factory, Arbuckle was able to establish his coffee as a regional brand. Others soon followed suit and, by World War I, there were a number of regional roasters including companies such as Folgers, Hill Brothers, and Maxwell House. These companies offered customers consistent quality and convenient packaging for use in the home, but at a price: freshness. It could be several weeks, or even months, before the end product would reach the customer.
 Once ground, coffee quickly loses its flavor and therefore should be consumed as soon as possible (at the very latest within 48 hours). But this was the age of the brand, where consistency ruled king over quality. Local roasters would often produce excellent coffee, but they could also produce foul coffee, occasionally containing a number of adulterations. Customers wanted to trust what they were buying. They wanted their coffee to taste exactly the same, time and time again.

Worse was to come to the brew known as coffee. As regional roasters grew into national roasters and then into international roasters, their pursuit of profit intensified. Traditionally, coffee came from the 'arabica' variety of coffee bush. But in the 1850s, the French and Portuguese began to cultivate a different variety of coffee bush, known as 'robusta', on the west coast of Africa between Gabon and Angola. Robusta beans were (and still are) cheaper then arabica beans as they are easier to grow and have an inferior flavor. Coffee roasters looking to minimize their production costs started blending robusta beans with arabica beans in increasing quantities. They also used shorter roast times to reduce weight loss and thus stopped the coffee from fully developing its complex flavor.

However the lowest point for coffee came with the introduction of instant coffee - a drink bearing little resemblance in taste to actual coffee.

With the coffee industry focused on price rather then quality, it was little wonder that coffee sales became stagnant. Coffee drinking was now more about a caffeine fix rather then about savoring the taste. It was something to be gulped during a break from work, rather than a treat to be enjoyed over conversation or while reading the newspaper. Unsurprisingly the younger generations born in the 70s and 80s turned their back on bitter coffee, preferring sugary soft drinks such as Coca Cola and Pepsi for their caffeine kicks.



Movement in the future

I recently read this article on CNN.com (http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/02/health/children-awareness-food-enayati/index.html) about how kids these days are much more aware of what's "healthy."  The author sees kids as a new line of activists for food.  When she was a child, she recalls that her method of differentiating between foods was "like" and "dislike." Kids, these days on the other hand, are likely to know the difference between high fructose corn syrup and sugar.  They are more likely to avoid foods with high saturated fat or sodium content.  Basically, there is a growing awareness in the youngest generation of what constitutes "real food."

My last blog post touched on some key points that his author brings up in her article.  The first one being our generation's growing reliance on transparency of information regarding our food.  Policy like prop 37 at its core is promoting information.  It is meant to inform people so that they can base decisions off facts instead of a colorful label.  This young generation is being exposed all the time to their parents' increasing inquisition into the contents of their food, and it is likely that this will continue to when they become voting age.  It also represents a dichotomy between the oldest sector of the population and the one we are a part of.  Like I said before, even people like my dad who has a solid understanding and respect for natural, healthy foods do not necessarily put it as a priority in part because it was just not as universal of a value as it is starting to become now.

I think this article also highlights one of the discussions we had in class about whether or not the food movement is an actual movement or not.  Well, even though it may not be now, if this article is any indication of what our youngest generation is thinking and talking about, then it very well could become a movement in the next decade or two, when these kids start growing up and get into a position to ask for political and social change.  Maybe the movement is still in its infant stages right now.  Maybe transparency is really the central issue of what the movement is headed towards being about.  Whatever it is, I have faith that this will eventually become a full-fledged movement, in part due to these kids growing into the power of their voices.

Monday, December 3, 2012

Water is Water.

I was always under the impression that water is water.  When in America, I have no problem filling up my water bottle from the bathroom tap.  Many people feel that bottled water or Brita filters help to avoid bacteria in the water and make it more "pure".  As it turns out, it may not be the bacteria that you have to worry about, but rather the lack of bacteria.  A recent study has found that pesticides in water may be contributing to the rise in food allergies.

It seems that in our generation, food allergies have become increasingly common.  There are more peanut allergies in schools and a larger gluten-free selection than ever.  I was always skeptical of this rise, thinking that people were just being too-cautious, but as it turns out, there may be an explanation for these allergies.

Dichlorophenols, a form of chlorine, are commonly used in water supplies to reduce the amount of harmful bacteria.  Unfortunately, this pesticide also kills natural bacteria as well.  People need bacteria in their digestive system, as it helps to process many dietary components.  The ingestion of these dichlorophenols in most water supply have shown to have a significant statistical relationship with food allergies.  

The report is located from ABCNews at http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2012/12/03/pesticides-in-tap-water-linked-to-food-allergies/

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Organic Pet Food

In class, we frequently discuss "organic" food and what that truly implies, but what about food for our pets?  When walking through the pet aisle, there are an increasing number of pet foods and treats that are labelled as "natural" or "organic".  Which begs the question-- do the supposed benefits of organic foods transfer to our pets' foods as well?  It seems like every couple months a new recall is announced is the pet industry.  I know a lot of people, including myself, care for pets like a family member and do not want to feed them anything harmful, but is organic food the way to go?

A recent news story detailed the rise of organics in pet products, and found that there are no restrictions for pet food labelling like there are for human food.  Therefore, the term organic can be used quite loosely.  Many of the pet products that are sold use words such as "natural" or "organic" as marketing tactics, feeding off of peoples' desires to do what is best for their pet.  However, the ingredients list should be scrutinized, not the name or front of the bag.  For more from the news article, see the link below.

http://www.azfamily.com/news/consumer/Is-organic-pet-food-worth-the-price-180851061.html

However, the USDA does certify pet products as organic if they meet standards for human consumption.  So although a pet food carrying the term organic may not necessarily be organic, "USDA Organic Certified" products are judged at the same standards that the human food products are.

Saturday, December 1, 2012


I finally tried out the Mexican Pumpkin Stew my mom suggested… what was that now, 3, 4 weeks ago? The squash used for the stew was quite well-traveled by the time it actually became soup: It sat on my kitchen counter at school for two weeks, my counter at home in Ithaca for one week (I thought we might eat it over Thanksgiving), and then came back with me to school last weekend. As much as I wanted to make the soup before that, I couldn't seem to set aside the time. I thought I could make it on a Saturday, but I was always too tired; I thought I would make it on a Sunday, but I was always doing work. During the week was not even an option. It just seemed like the process of actually seeding the squash and cutting it up would be way to messy and take way too long. I know it sounds lazy, but you know what it’s like when in this last stretch of the semester – every minute counts. So what finally motivated me to make the soup? My mom. She actually cut the squash up for me the day we left to come back to school. So sweet of her but so sad that that’s what it took for me to actually make this. If I, as someone who really cares about my food and where it comes from, cannot even make the time to make one home-made dish, what about other people who don’t care? 

Anyways, I’m so happy I finally made it because the result was delicious. It took only about an hour to make – 30 minutes of prep and 30 minutes of letting it simmer on the stove. The prep was super easy once my mom had already cut up the squash because almost all of the other ingredients were in cans or other containers (corn, beans, diced tomatoes, salsa, vegetable broth, etc.). Once it was done, I shared it with my roommate and it made for a lovely dinner. And the best part is, it lasted me for 3 days after that! I had it for two more dinners and a lunch. I didn't get tired of it. Every time I had it it was more delicious because the flavors had had time to coalesce. I realized that it was definitely worth the time it took me to make it because of the easy leftovers it provides for the rest of the week. I hope this experience will motivate me to cook more next semester – and hopefully cut up my own squash!

Friday, November 30, 2012

The Future of Urban Farming - Going Vertical



Urban farms are important in providing city residents fresh, local, and healthy food. But cities already take up so much space, so building vertical seems makes sense.

Learn more here: The Vertical Farm Project

Thursday, November 29, 2012

harvest dinner at Circa Restaurant

Each time I have taught Food, it has been a tradition to end the semester with a harvest dinner at Circa Restaurant in Cazenovia.  Tonight we had our dinner, which included 4 courses created with ingredients all from within the Central New York region.  The ingredients ranged from beets, turnips, and kale, to beef, chicken, and cheese, and were sourced from towns no further than Ithaca (about 60 miles away).  The food was amazing---just look at these happy faces:

Though it's a little hard to see them, our farmers are at the end of the table: Chris Babis, Amy Brown, and their daughter with the big smile, Georgie.

Thoughts from Class discussion on Civic Agriculture

Overall, there were a few things mentioned during our class discussion today that has got me thinking back to the beginning of the semester:

  1. there was mention of the how the Urban Farmer, Novella Carpenter, came off as a weirdo 
  2. mention of how, if you're not speaking/ presenting to someone who does not take the same stance as you do on a specific topic or issue, you need to restructure your rhetoric so that they will be able to understand your stand point 
  3. how a majority of people today don't have time to take on farming because they are consumed with other things in their lives that are of greater importance 
  4. the lack of care of people to actually farm/ w (students and others educated) care to have a stance and focus on agricultural issues because we are educated on the topic 
These four points led me back to the beginning of the semester when we were first introduced to the class and the topic of agriculture. Not sure if I am the only one, but, at the beginning of this class, I stood where a majority of Americans stand today-- unaware about the foods that they consume.  I think that #2 is a great point and made me think of our discussion at the beginning of the semester, where we discussed the depleting importance of agriculture in society.  While the "organic" movement has kind of  brought agriculture and its production back to focus, I think a cause of societies neglect to focus on agriculture has to do with the way in which it is presented.  There was mention that the urban farmer came off as a "weirdo," and although funny, it is a perception that is most people within societies have when they think of farmers and agriculture.  When agriculture is presented, it is often presented as a, using a new phrase I learned today, "granola hippe" issue.  This, I think targets a specific auidence: those who are educated about food and care to take an interest in it.  Other than the organic phenomenon (I call it a phenomenon because I think its more of a trend for most rather than a issue that is of importance that people are invested in) agricultural issues are still not at the forefront or even in the thoughts of many.  After today's class, I think that the way in which agriculture and agricultural issues are presented should be changed to fill in the lack of knowledge that  people have about the production of their food and the impact that it may have.  I also think that there should be more of an awareness about, not just how horrible conventional forms of agriculture are, but agriculture in general.  That way, people can have the option of choosing which form of agriculture they support.  I don't think there is a set solution to the "agriculture problem" that we have been learning and discussing about all semester, but I do think that moving towards an awareness of options can lead to a change that will be somewhat beneficial for all, whether they have the time or not to take on farming of their own.  

Peru Bans GMOs

Wha!

http://www.occupymonsanto360.org/2012/03/10/peru-passes-monumental-ten-year-ban-on-genetically-engineered-foods/

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

The End of Hostess

Last night, I was watching The Daily Show when a story came on about the Hostess factory finally closing. Apparently, the company filed for bankruptcy and is now shutting down completely. I first heard about the story a few weeks go, and I must admit that I was shocked. While I am not personally a fan of Twinkies or Wonder Bread (in fact, I kind of despise them both), I could not believe that Hostess was actually shutting down after being such a popular brand of snack cakes and desserts for a larger part of the twentieth century. It seems like every time I go to the grocery store or any convenience mart, there is inevitably a large section full of Hostess products. I always thought that someone must be buying them. According to the Daily Show segment, the main impetus for the brand shutting down is a very large employee strike and poor corprate organization. That being said, another reason listed was that Moms aren't buying them like they used to. Of course, the show made a joke about how news anchors are blaming mothers for Hostess closing, but I actually think there is a real point there. In class, we've discussed the current food movement and whether or not it is a social movement. I am on the side that believes it absolutely is, and I think the closing of the Hostess company is the latest evidence to support this fact. People are becoming more educated about health and nutrition and what foods should absolutely be avoided if you want to be a reasonably healthy person. At the same time, corporations are strategically navigating this movement by making more and more natural/organic products with health claims and marketing that convinces mothers that THIS is what you should be buying for your kids, not THOSE. Hostess products, on the other hand, are doomed to the "THOSE" category by virtue of their ingredients and how processed and artificial they are. While many consumers may be fooled into thinking that certain brands of cookies and cereals and crackers are better for you than they really are, no one is ever going to think that a Twinkie is healthy. And as a result, people stopped buying them as often as they used to, inevitably contributing to the closing of the company. I predict that we will continue to see this pattern - of "health food" sales rising and "junk food" sales falling. Fortunately for Americans, I think this can only be a good thing for our overall well-being.

http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-november-27-2012/the-employees-strike-back---twinkie-s-end

Nutrition Education

As childhood obesity becomes increasingly prevalent among students in the United States, the lack of effective nutrition education in schools remains a huge problem. Although some view nutrition education as something to be taught in the home, many children do not receive this knowledge from their parents, resulting in a multitude of negative effects, such as suffering in school, type II diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and heart disease. Many have sought to discover what, when, and how the most effective nutrition education is for children. When children do receive education about wellness and nutrition, it is often limited, taught outside the normal classroom routine as a special program outside of normal classroom routine. Schools do not always have the time and resources to devote to nutrition education programs, as it is not seen as something that should inherently be taught in schools. Schools today are under pressure to meet high stakes standards, which make every moment in the classroom valuable. For those students who fail state testing, health-based education is not viewed as a means to help him advance in school and is seen as less important.
Health advocates and nutrition researchers point out that healthy practices and messages should be given at a young age. Nutrition programs and education can be maximized and are most effective when introduced at a young age. Without an integrating nutrition education into the daily curriculum, nutrition education does not seem as important, putting health as a second-rate concern for children in the United States. Schools have the unique opportunity to influence children as they interact and influence students for the first two decades of their life. Because schools do not always have the means or time to devote to nutrition education, I became increasingly interested in a book that I read called French Kids Eat Everything by Karen Le Billion. This book discusses how nutrition education is incorporated into elementary education through their cantina, which is a cafeteria in the United States. By exposing children to healthy foods and making this food the only option, kids eat everything. Who ever thought that an elementary school student would eat a beet salad for lunch? The United States should look to the system of nutrition education in France as a model for how to reduce the high and increasing rates of childhood obesity in this country.